Cuirim fáilte mhór roimh ambasadóir na Gearmáine, an t-ambasadóir Gill. Gabhaimid buíochas leis as ucht theacht anseo inniu chun lá náisiúnta na Gearmáine, a bheidh ar siúl ar an Satharn, a cheiliúradh. I have many happy memories of my many visits to Germany especially with the Lender family in Auweiler, Cologne, a city with which my home city, Cork, is twinned. What we all have in common is an aspiration for a better future. Along with others, my party, Fine Gael, aspires to achievement of a new and unified Ireland, recognising that not everybody shares this aspiration. Irrespective of what the future holds for our island, we believe that lessons can be learned from Germany’s journey towards reunification while acknowledging that political and social differences continue to exist between east and west in Germany 36 years after reunification, as we saw in the recent regional elections.

Ireland, Germany and the EU must continue to focus on unity, justice and freedom not only within the borders of the European Union but beyond in places such as Africa, Ukraine and the Middle East. We must show strong, positive leadership in the wider world, helping to bring wars and conflicts to an end. We must not be afraid to lead in tackling collective global challenges such as climate, inequality and hunger, all of which are severely adversely impacted by war and conflict. I shed tears of happiness when I saw the television pictures of the leadership the people of Germany showed to us and to our European partners in opening their homes to welcome displaced Ukrainians after the illegal Russian invasion of their country in 2022.

I have often since wondered, as I mentioned to the ambassador when we met last year, why the same solidarity and commitment has not been shown by the EU to the people of Palestine, who, as our Taoiseach, Micheál Martin, rightly said at the United Nations General Assembly last week, have been failed by the international community.

Herr Botschafter, genauso wie in der EU sollten wir uns immer darauf fokussieren, was uns verbindet und nicht auf das, was uns trennt. Was uns verbindet ist der Wunsch nach Frieden.

Wie Friedrich Schiller im Sommer von 1785 in seiner "Ode an die Freude" geschrieben hat, "Alle Menschen werden Brüder, Wo dein sanfter Flügel weilt." Herr Botschafter, wir dürfen nicht vergessen dass die Palästinenser und auch die Israelis unsere Schwestern und Brüder sind und wir in der EU müssen immer versuchen miteinander gemeinsam auf eine zwei-Staaten-Lösung zu arbeiten.

Ambassador, we must recognise that Palestinians and Israelis are also our sisters and brothers and that the EU must show stronger and fair leadership to work with them and other international partners towards the achievement of a two-state solution, which will enable all the children of both Palestine and Israel to achieve a better future, living peacefully side by side.

Go raibh míle maith agaibh, a chomhghleacaithe agus a ambasadóir. Tá súil agam go mbainfidh tú féin agus muintir na Gearmáine an-taitneamh as bhur lá náisiúnta ar an Satharn.